There is a growing number of complaints around the web of iPhone paint chipping going on. While this is not a major issue at first glance until you hear a few stories. To start when the iPhone 7 launched, the glossy, Jet Black version could admittedly scratch easily. So now the matte black version (called Black) are suffering from chips in the paint. The owner making the complaints are saying even with use of a case this still happens. I remember this happening with the iPhone 5 when it was released and the problem now with the iPhone 7 so far seems limited. You know with so many iPhones sold especially after the Note 7 debacle (yeah I added that in) the number of complaints so far is rather small in comparison. Or are people just not caring enough to wanna make that big a deal about it?

The issue is being talked about in the Apple Support Forums while I believe the complaint started in Reddit (of course). A lot of sites are giving specifics as to location of the chippings but it really does not matter. If you just buy an iPhone 7 and days to 2 weeks later you find chips, you will not be too happy about it. Especially with the rising costs of cell phones these days. Going through all the clutter it sounds like the chipping affects the larger iPhone model more. The kicker though is Apple response to the issue. Apple has been basically useless in resolving this issue on the affected devices. Reason being is that the insurance you pay for does not cover cosmetic damage/flaws.

Apple iPhone 7 at Amazon

One Owner Posts:

I have been using iPhone 7 Plus Matt Black for about one month with fully covered by a TPU casing and full screen tempered glass most of the time. I just open the casing once a week to wipe the dust off from the phone. Until yesterday when I take off the casing, and notice there is something at the edge of the phone body next to UP Volume button. At first I thought it just the dust. I try to wipe it using microfibre cloth as usual. Until I look closely it is the metal part of the body. It seems that the black anodised paint had been chipped off from the phone body. I am really disappointed with what happen to the phone because I was using it very careful.

I have chat with Apple Customer Support and it is not covered under warranty since it is under cosmetic damage. Seems that the anodised paint quality on iPhone 7 is same as what is on iPhone 5. The iPhone 7 body paint will chipped at anytime regardless you are using it very careful. Just to share with you guys

Some owners are stating that they are very careful with their phones to run into this issue anyways. There have been some that actually took it upon themselves to fix the issue by painting it using acrylic paint from local craft/hobby shops which would only be a sort of workaround until some other location on the phone chips… (wow)

I mean wear and tear on any phone is expected but some owners have even claimed the chipping occurred right after purchasing the phone. As I looked at a chipped iPhone 7 what I see makes me think, “Ooh, an iPhone 6 in disguise.” As I am hit with post after post on this problem I would still call it vague still in how widespread the issue is. Will it ever warrant a response from Apple? Probably not or Apple just gives the same response that they gave during the iPhone 5 days. (I’m just saying.) I do think though that anyone who owns an iPhone 7 or is looking to buy one should keep their eyes ‘peeled’ (pun intended) for this issue. lol

Since Pokemon Go has launched, the game has generated its share of headlines. Pokemon, a series of video games developed by Game Freak and Creatures Inc and published by Nintendo based on a cartoon series. The cartoon series features 10 year old Ash who aspires to be the greatest Pokemon trainer in the world. In his effort he enlists the help of two friends, Misty and Brock, and his own Pokemon, Pikachu who also becomes more his friend. Together they search their world for all Pokemon while avoiding Team Rocket and their Pokemon, Meowth.I myself have recently been pulled into the game and found myself walking around looking for Pokemon. Some being rather unreachable due to having to trek into other people’s backyards that may or may not have dogs while Pokemon gyms are located near bus stops and state buildings. I will probably head out after this on my own quest to “Catch em all.”

On the opposite side of things there is a lot of fake news out there involving Pokemon Go. Let me just get straight into it.

Pokemon GO, a mobile game that has captured the attention of millions of fans worldwide, is yet again the cause of a tragedy. Timmy Richards, A 15 year old Florida teen, was arrested Sunday morning after stabbing his 13 year-old brother to death because, according to authorities, he thought his younger brother had deleted his Pokemon, when in reality, he had simply logged him out.Since the release of Pokemon GO earlier this week, it has been a hit, attracting millions of players from all age ranges. Encouraging players to travel on foot to find and capture the various Pokemon available. “Tragic, tragic, tragic” said Officer Gary Philips, who arrived at the scene a few minutes after the murder, “It’s sad to see a game capture it’s players so much that they are willing to kill others. Especially in this case, as it was all just a misunderstanding”. According to his family, Timmy was a very smart and peaceful person, rarely seen angry or agitated.

Some users are having problems logging into or playing Pokemon Go the infamous terrorist group know as ISIS is taking responsibility for this attack.ISIS leader Ahmad Aklahar HanhJob says “America will feel the pain of not being able to catch them all” he claims the terrorist group has stopped purchasing illegal firearms and is now moving the war online. He claims they own several computer with over 500gb of ram something that could cause mass destruction.Using a simple dial up connection they have managed to shut down Pokemon Go’s servers.Stay woke and keep updated by checking back as this story develops.

Charley Lewis claims he was walking home when he felt a vibration from his phone upon checking it the notification was from the Pokemon Go app.He told his family that he didn’t feel the car hit him he simply awoke at the hospital with fractured skull and both his legs broken doctors say he might never walk again. His friend who wants to remain anonymous recorded the incident and immediately dialed 911.Charley Lewis says his life goal was to “catch them all” but with his inability to walk his dreams have been crushed he said “I felt like they set me up for disappointment” he is expected to live but he might never catch them all.His family has already started the suing the Pokemon Go company they feel that a 500 million dollar settlement will be enough to satisfy his disappointment. We have yet to hear from the Pokemon Go company.

26 Year-Old Lamar Hickson is accused of causing one of the worst highway accidents after stopping in the middle of the highway to catch a Pikachu.Lamar Hickson admitted to police that he was playing the newly released Pokemon app game know as “Pokemon Go” while driving. He said “Sh*t if you wanna catch them all you gotta risk it all so I put my car in park and started tossing these balls”.Charges against Hickson are still unknown, nobody was seriously hurt but this raises concerns about future accidents. We spoke to one of the car accident victims and he also says he was also playing the game.We spoke the officers Fredrick Jones who says “Texting and driving was already a very serious issue, but now playing Pokemon Go and driving could make things worse.” He said this could double or triple the amount of incidents that happen due to driving while using a mobile device.The hashtag #dontpokemongoanddrive has since started trending on social media.

These four are the main rumor/articles going around that are fake works of fiction originating from the CartelPress website. CartelPress looks like a normal news site but its stories are actually manufactured stories. See if you scroll down to the bottom of the site you will see a link to their Term and Conditions. Once you click on it you are shown this at the top:

So…..there you have it. I have done some research of the site and apparently Huzlers.com regularly publishes fake stories and that CartelPress may be just a mock-up for another site they plan to create which will allow its users to create their own stories and share them on social media. The guy behind the idea even tricked Facebook users into believing he had predicted many milestone events in 2016.

Other stories:

TOLEDO, Ohio — Police say two people in Ohio have been arrested while playing “Pokemon Go” after they climbed over a fence at the Toledo Zoo. The pair was arrested early Thursday after they were spotted on a zoo security camera. Police say the two went over a fence near the zoo’s tiger enclosure in search of the smart phone game’s cartoon monsters. Officers say the pair was walking through the zoo when they were caught. Both were charged with criminal trespass. Twenty-five-year old Robin Bartholomy and 26-year-old Adrian Crawford, both of Toledo, are due in court Friday. Court records do not list attorneys for them. A message seeking comment was left with Crawford. There was no telephone listing for Bartholomy. WTOL reports that Bartholomy posted on Facebook just days before her arrest: ‘I am not above breaking and entering for a Pokemon.” *** True

Some are being led to some not-so-great places.
The whole point of Pokémon Go is that you have to go out in order to play the game. In theory, this is great. So many games we play on our phones keep us stationary, but Pokémon Go has us exploring the world. However, the game’s creators might want to rethink where they’re stashing the Pokémon: Users have reported being led to a strip club, cemeteries, private homes and even a Holocaust museum in pursuit of their prizes.

So with all that has been going on be careful when playing the game and limit where you go. Pokemon appear everywhere even across the street in a neighbor’s backyard that owns two big pit bulls………………………………..

Here goes another battle of Samsung verses Apple were so much seems to reside on how much a person likes the phone as opposed to whether or not the phone is actually better. The phone industry battle still mainly involves Samsung and Apple. You do have other companies who throw there bombs in like LG and Huawei. Companies like Huawei and Blu have made a dent into this battle as far as sales go mainly because they have offering phones with some pretty good specs for less money and less money spent is always enticing. A good number of consumers do not want to spend a lot of money on a phone to then have to spend a lot monthly to keep that phone on. At the end of the day you buying that flagship phone is still better than buying the cheaper copies. Main reason is longevity and yes a new version comes out every year and yet I am still right. Why? I will give you an example. The Note 3 is years old now. We are about to see a Note 6 soon and the Note 3 is still a great phone. I have seen Note 3 phones with Note 5 software on them giving these phones new life for the owner that wants to wait to upgrade and let’s face it, it is not always beneficial to upgrade every year (i.e. Note 5 removal of the SDCard) but a worthwhile upgrade also depends on where you are coming from.
Now we have the Samsung Galaxy S7 vs. the Apple iPhone 6s. The first thing that comes to mind is the “s” in the iPhone 6s which to me just tells me that is but a minor change from the 6 at first glance but come to find out the 6s is just what the 6 should have been from the start (gotta know to read between the lines). So first let us start with what is different with the 6s vs the 6.

Screen: Same screen but with 3D Touch
Design: .2 mm thicker, 14g heavier, another color option of Rose Gold, and 7000 anodized aluminum as opposed to 6300. So the design is worse actually but for a worthwhile reason if anyone remembers the “bend-gate” scandal of the iPhone 6.

Performance: Apple A9 64bit dual core 1.84GHz (CPU), PowerVR GT7600 (GPU), 2GB RAM. What this means is the 6s has a newer CPU and GPU which is faster and the phone has more memory than 1GB (finally an iphone with more than 1GB) More memory translates into more you can do at once and more webpages opened. Oh also any review you read about the Apple CPU do not be impressed by how much more percent the CPU is faster cause all that matters is how that CPU can handle the Operating System period.

Camera: 4MP higher camera with all the same features while adding 4K video and 5MP front camera instead of the 1.2 the 6 had. Oh and they added a Live Photo feature.

Battery: It is a smaller battery than the 6 but supposedly the newer iOS in the 6s is more power efficient.

So now that you know the differences between the iPhone 6 vs the 6s (it is relevant…..trust me as I will go into more info on that later) let’s get into business. I am not going to go into a long review of these phones but instead show you a spec comparison and then explain it.

Screen:
The Galaxy S7 screen is better by far with more pixels resulting in a much better look. Quite frankly nothing beats out a Samsung AMOLED display. The Iphone has 3D Touch an all which sounds cool if you use it. 3DTouch is a feature that allows the screen detect pressure which you can use to preview emails and websites. Let us not forget the Edge version of this cool display with its curve edge which adds more features to the phone.
OLED technology is the future where future phone can be flexible and foldable. These displays are lighter, thinner, faster in response time, have more vibrant colors, better viewing angles, high color accuracy, and like you see in the new line of Samsung phones an always-on display mode.

Performance:
The S7 is the winner here while both perform great with their respective operating systems. The S7 no matter which variant you get whether the Exnyos or Snapdragon (US versions) you are still getting more cores for your buck along with more memory. Double the amount of memory (think like your home PC or laptop) translates into faster performance and more multitasking. You can basically do more with 4GB and you can with 2GB. More open apps and more opened webpages. Now some will say the Apple is better here and I ask…. Based on what test? These 2 phones are very different while using different operating systems and frankly there is no true way to compare them performance-wise. If there was some way to test these phone on equal grounds while using the same OS then maybe as performance depends greatly on software. So when you see performance benchmarking reviews take them with a grain of salt cause what matters is if it runs good for what you use that phone for.

Software:
Which OS being better depends largely on what you like and want. Which one actually being better won’t matter to most if not all people. iOS and Android are both great but here we run into that age old battle of windows verses Mac OS, though not same per say but definitely is the same battle based on the same pros and cons. Apple’s closed management of iOS makes it better as far as upgrades are concerned as long as your device can run it which Apple also dictates. Android is more open by far with an app store that offers a lot more at the price of zero. Updates take longer and if you are a techy person you can do a lot more with your phone by installing customized versions of android on your phone by going to certain sites like xda-developers. This option is what can largely increase the life of your phone as I have mentioned latter in my reference to the Note 3. Not to mention those movie apps people find like Showbox or Moviebox.

Camera:
The camera is something you have to test out no matter what the specs are and a lot of reviews are stating the S7 camera is better. We use our phone to take selfies and capture those special moments which are usually in low light environments. Samsung has focused on this and the S7 has proven to be better in low light. I have seen a lot of mixed reviews, of course, but most of them praise the S7 on its low light performance. Even an Apple fan site, iMore, says the S7 won in their comparison of the cameras. Anyone reading this can look this up and you will find these camera shootouts going on, on websites. Other sites to check are Yahoo and CNET.

Battery:
The S7 has a bigger battery but at the same time needs it and still has not beaten Apple yet on battery life.

Overall I would have to say the S7 is better. I have chosen to not get into the design cause both phones are beautiful phones and no one can knock the Samsung phone for not having the metal, premium design. Samsung screens have been the best since the Epic 4G in 2010. Note that this was not the first phone to use OLED technology. Nokia has that win with the N85 but after that Samsung did make the i7110. Back then though these were not what you see today and they performed rather bad in direct sunlight. Anyways the S7 having more memory is a definite win here and to add the new Marshmallow Android OS along with a more robust processor but…..

The Apple iPhone 6s is already halfway through its lifecycle and there are rumors already on the iPhone 7. These rumor go as follows:

Removal of the headphone jack

Faster LTE modem made by Intel instead of Qualcomm

Wraparound screen using OLED technology (I doubt this very much. Maybe later down the road in like 2018 or something as Apple is always behind.)

Copying of some S7 specs like the dual-lens camera.

A new chassis that allows radio signals through it or just redesigning the antenna lines. (Hmmm great for signal increases but bad if you one of those people that are into the effects these signals can cause on people.)

So if you have an upgrade up and are looking to upgrade you probably should wait till around September/October time to see what this new iPhone 7 will be then decide what to upgrade to then. Oh will add that the Note 6 will also be a choice then too as I hear Samsung will be bringing back the SDCard. When it comes to the Note series of phones even if you do not use the S-Pen they are great phones and from what I hear the Note 6 may sport 6GB of memory, 4000mAh battery, and the same water and dust resistant features as the Galaxy S7. Yeah another feature the S7 has. Check out this video.

[ntcyoutube id=”18UxWUtJKhQ”]

If you want to read more on the S7 you can checkout the S7 rumors post.

Finally Apple has come out with a phone to compete with the market and I must say it is a nice looking phone but that is nothing new when it comes to Apple products. Apple is now doing things different (for them anyways) and has made a larger iphone. In fact, they made 2 larger iphones. Now if you want some specs on the phones just check out a previous post, APPLE’S SPENDING HAS INCREASED… IPHONE 6 LAUNCH COMING?, on Ninja Tech forums where I talk about the rumors of the phone that were out before launch.I’m just going to get straight to the point here. I have seen the phones and I do like them. While holding the phone it feels metal and sturdy, yet a bit slippery. The phones are thinner and do feel better in your hands. I looked closely at each one and they look to be well designed and they have the curved ends that iphone fans should not find as a new thing. The design actually reminds me of the original iphones starting from the 1st generation to the iphone 3GS but only thinner. Let’s not forget that these also had the rounded curves. It wasn’t until the iphone 4 that the blocky design was used.

I like the metal Apple logo on the back yet it is a definite fingerprint magnet. As I picked up the phone on the display I saw the previous customer’s fingerprint and looking at it I thought, “Man his hands must be dirty.” Mind you I saw the person and he looked clean, I guess, but whatever residue he had on his hands were easily seen on the logo. The iphone 6 was really light and felt good I must say but I myself not being so easily impressed looked closer at the phone and I saw the screen curving at the edges. I tested this by swiping my finger across the edge and yep. My first reaction was good but then I started to think then asked myself, “What would happen if I dropped the phone one day?” and from what I know the result did not seem good to me. Now I have dropped my Note 3 and the metal bezel caught a ding while the glass and everything is fine but the same kind of fall my Note 3 took, if it were to occur on the iphone… The impact would affect the screen more given the curved design of the phone. As I looked away at the phone I began to hear T-mobile reps pushing customers to get the insurance. Even stating that the wait for the phone will be shorter for those that get the insurance. I wonder why that it. So I look around the web for drop tests and find that the iphone in most of those tests have not held up. Here are a few you can check out:

This test by Android Authority is thought of as very skeptical by most viewers since most of the test done by other users have different results but if you want durability who are you gonna believe? the minority or the majority?

I have decided to also include the bent tests for the Note 3 and the iphone 6 plus.

As you can see the screen cracked on a flat out on the screen fall. I have don’t this on my Note 3 and the noise it made did not sound good at all but the phone is still fine and kicking. Shoot some may never even be able to tell that I dropped it. The iPhone 6 drops tests concern me and anyone going out to purchase one make sure you buy the insurance. Now get this, I heard a story of a person who dropped his iPhone 6 (already?) Watch the video and remember this is on the first day. This guy I think may be the first customer to have it.

Dude?… can you imagine just buying the phone after camping out to get it and you drop it? I hope Apple sees the video and helps him out just because I can feel that just watching the video and it does not feel good. (My empathy at play here.) Well, moving along I learn what is on the inside of the phone and I personally am not impressed. The specs are fine for most but they remind me of the commercials of the Note 4 that I have seen and the question that comes to mind is “Didn’t an earlier Google Nexus phone have similar specs as this?” Seriously, a dual-core processor? Okay it is a 64-bit processor with a coprocessor (M8) to handle the phone’s motion capabilities while rocking 1GB of DDR3 RAM. Oh and the graphics chip is quad-core, a detail which saves the phone in my book. This graphics chip should serve the phone well for gamers. I’m going to move on to some pros and cons to help you decide.

Apple iPhone 6

Pros

New Sleek design

Confortable to hold

Fast performance

Great display

Good camera (generally)

Cons

Lacks Optical Image Stabilization

Battery Life is okay

NFC can only be used for mobile payments

The iPhone 6 with the larger screen is still confortable to hold. My initial testing shows it to be fast and the display was okay to me. Although Samsung’s AMOLED screens are still better from what I can see. The iPhone screens just didn’t seem as bright to me. (A little screen brightness adjusting may fix that though.) This iphone does not have the same battery which translates to shorter battery life as the iPhone 6 Plus. This detail has been mentioned in other reviews throughout the web also just in case you want more proof. The Optical Image Stabilization is also not present but the phone is a good choice for most people.

Apple iPhone 6 Plus

Pros

Long Battery Life

Great camera with Optical Image Stabilization

Fast performance

Large great display

Cons

One-handed use is not for everyone and can be uncomfortable

NFC can only be used for mobile payments

The iPhone 6 Plus some would say is difficult to use one-handed but that really depends on what you are used to and how big your hands are. Although I have heard it mentioned that the phone is more uncomfortable than similar phones of its size. Now I like my Note 3 and its shape at times has help me catch it before it fell due to the more square look and the metalic bezel. I literally had the phone at my finger tips at times but you cannot beat having enough screen real estate for the playing of games, movies, and web surfing. So with the larger size you do get an iPad-like experience on a small device. The phone is said also in all areas that it does have better battery life then the smaller iPhone 6. The camera is also better which can the a deciding factor for some.

Overall both phones are great phones and at different sizes, Apple will be able to cut into the ‘phablet’ market that Samsung has started with the Note series. The iphone 6 looks great but inside the hood is just mid to mid-high components. Again Apple has cut a few corners by doing what it does best, take lower end hardware and create a cult of fans by captivating the senses with great looks. Smartphones in general are said to be more and have more features than what a lot people will ever use. There is also website all over the web talk about Apple fans being people who think different and are more artistic. If that is the case then why are they settling for the mere great looks of an iPhone and not buying a Samsung Note device? The answer for most is simply to be cool. Oooooh I have an iPhone and I will defend it to the end with false Pros and true Cons, despite of the fact which prove otherwise. Then again having a lot of features just isn’t a concern and just want a cool smartphone with simplicity. In that I do agree but with any device there are quirks. The iPhone just isn’t for me due to having been spoiled by the Galaxy Note’s S-Pen but to anyone who hasn’t been spoiled like me I would recommend the iPhone most definitely as a 2 year phone. What I mean is, sure get the phone, but when upgrade time comes get a different phone so you can actuallly feel like you upgraded because the iphone experience has not really changed that much over the years. The idea of improving the integration and interactivity of iphones with other Apples would be the only change you will find. So if I was an iPhone 5 user that actually put my phone to use by using as many features as I can find a use for then upgrade to the iPhone 6 Plus. If most of what you do is talk then there is no large reason (a cracked screen would be good reason) to upgrade from any iPhone 4 or 5 other than to simply have the newest (and greatest……supposedly) phone. So you cannot go wrong with the iPhone really just make sure you get nsurance on it and protect the phone with a case and screen cover.

World of Warcraft fan? Maybe?… Maybe not?… Or do you like card games? Blizzard Entertainment has released a free to play card game based on World of Warcraft. Having been a World of Warcraft player I was able to acquire a free mount for playing the game.

Well, yeah I had to do something in the game first. I had to do all the work of installing the game and then I had to play it. As I played I started to have fun which kind of snuck up on me since I only wanted the mount. As I played and hours actually passed I saw how easy to understand the core rules were. See it does not really rely on some complex and complicated rules. You can be a good player by simply playing the right cards at the right time. Now I did see a some exceptions related to what was related to a Crazed Alchemist. For the most part the cards and their effects were simple with few words used to communicate what it is they do. Actually some of the ones I like are Fireball which deals 6 damage, Chillwind Yeti is a minion with 4 attack and 5 health. The objective, of course, is to kill your opponent or rather get their health to zero. As for the cards, some are very accessible, some not so much.

The game does take a lil brain power and playing mindlessly may just cost you a few losses. There will be times when attacking may not be the best idea cause your opponent played a card that gets stronger depending on what you do. You may wanna knock that card out first. It is also good to have some protection instead by playing a card that Taunts attackers to attack it giving you some breathing room while you hope for a good card to show up so you can setup a good combo to knock your opponent’s health down. So you play at first to improve your deck. Also important to mention is what class you want to play cause each class has its own special powers.

iPad version

As for this version, I honestly am not sure but the news is that it plays identically as on Mac and PC. This sounds good to me and I would rather be able to play it on a tablet anyways but it is only available for iPad. Nothing Android at the moment but Blizzard states they will be working on one projected near the end of 2014. So myself being an Android person am not happy about that. I played the game but not as often as I would like. Maybe if it was on Android I would play it more. (Actually I would.)

New Expansion Curse of Naxxramas

Recently Blizzard has released a new expansion for Hearthstone adding new challenges giving players a chance at improving their card decks. If you play the game this is a must. As other players get these cards you may need some of your own to survive. The first wing, The Arachnid Quarter will be available for free for at least a month but after that it will cost $6.99 or 700 gold to download. I hear Blizzard will let players buy multiple wings at once at a discount.

Here’s the full list of prices:

US

All five wings: $24.99

Already own first wing: $19.99

Already own first two wings: $14.99

Already own first three wings: $9.99

Individual wings: $6.99, or 700 gold, each

Europe

All five wings: 21.99 euros or 17.49 pounds

Already own first wing: 17.99 euros or 13.99 pounds

Already own first two wings: 13.99 euros or 11.49 pounds

Already own first three wings: 8.99 euros or 6.99 pounds

Individual wings: 5.99 euros, 4.99 pounds or 700 gold each

So check out Hearthstone. It is a fun game, especially if you like card games. With the World of Warcraft feel to it, it is a treat for any WoW fans. Blizzard just need to get those other versions out there. Mainly iphone and Android. Once they do that the game will really flourish.

Looking back I see Hearthstone is available for Android now. At first the android release was for only tablets. During this time I was able to get the game going on my phone by finding the game from a 3rd source and at the time it ran really slow and was a bit weird to play. I had issues tapping in areas on the board so I could basically play cards but firing magic was an issue. Blizzard has now released its hold on the game and now some phones can play it. It ran fine on my phone. I have/had a Note 3.